Southwest preps for 100-degree heat wave

Temperatures exceeding 100 degrees are expected this week throughout the U.S. Southwest. Image courtesy of NOAA

May 7 (UPI) -- Temperatures across the U.S. Southwest will approach 100 degrees this week, the National Weather Service said Monday.

With the heat, more reminiscent of August in the desert than May, comes the possibility of wildfires.

"Sweltering highs in the upper 90s and lower 100s will continue to bake the Desert Southwest communities of Las Vegas and Phoenix early in the week," meteorologist Kristina Pydynowski of Accuweather.com said.

Las Vegas is expected to see its first triple-digit temperature of the year and temperatures above 100 degrees are predicted for several Southwest cities.

"Extreme temperatures and a lack of rain will heighten the wildfire threat across the Southwest, threatening lives and property across the region," AccuWeather.com meteorologist Brett Edwards added.

The National Weather Service said onday that temperatures in the lower elevations of Arizona, southern Nevada and eastern California will rise to 100 degrees or higher through the first part of the week. High pressure will remain in the area until it is moved by a descending cold front from the Northwest.

The temperature in Thermal, Calif., reached a daily record of 110 degrees, the highest temperature in the United States, on Sunday. The record high of 106 in Phoenix broke a record from 1947, and Tucson, Ariz., saw its first 100-degree day of the year. Las Vegas reached 99 degrees on Sunday.